From left, "The Descendants" music supervisor Dondi Bastone, who knew little about Hawaiian music when he started the project; author Kaui Hart Hemmings, who also plays a secretary to George Clooney's character in the film; and Patricia Hastie, who plays a wife and mother mostly seen as comatose. less

From left, "The Descendants" music supervisor Dondi Bastone, who knew little about Hawaiian music when he started the project; author Kaui Hart Hemmings, who also plays a secretary to George Clooney's ... more

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / Special to SFGate

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Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho, seen with wife Regina at the pre-Oscars party at the SLS Beverly Hills, has praised "The Descendants" for showing a true slice of life in modern Hawaii, and for highlighting Kauai's beautiful scenery. less

Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho, seen with wife Regina at the pre-Oscars party at the SLS Beverly Hills, has praised "The Descendants" for showing a true slice of life in modern Hawaii, and for highlighting ... more

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / Special to SFGate

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Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho presents "The Descendants" author Kaui Hart Hemmings with a proclamation naming Feb. 23 in her honor and a framed photo of the unspoiled coastline of Kipu Kai, which has an important cameo in the movie. less

Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho presents "The Descendants" author Kaui Hart Hemmings with a proclamation naming Feb. 23 in her honor and a framed photo of the unspoiled coastline of Kipu Kai, which has an ... more

Maui slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson says he has received fan mail from as far away as Poland thanks to the popuarity of "The Descendants" and its Hawaiian music soundtrack, on which he performs.

Maui slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson says he has received fan mail from as far away as Poland thanks to the popuarity of "The Descendants" and its Hawaiian music soundtrack, on which he performs.

Photo: Jeanne Cooper / Special to SFGate

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Cyril Pahinui poses with a fan next to fellow slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson at "The Descendants" party. Pahinui hailed the movie and the novel for their authenticity and exposure of Hawaiian music, including that of his celebrated father, the late Gabby Pahinui. less

Cyril Pahinui poses with a fan next to fellow slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson at "The Descendants" party. Pahinui hailed the movie and the novel for their authenticity and exposure of Hawaiian music, ... more

Photo: Sue Kanoho

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Oscars party honors 'Descendants' author, scene-stealing Kauai and music

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“The Descendants” cast was represented by Matt Corboy (perhaps best known from “The Shield”), who plays Cousin Ralph, one of the many relatives of George Clooney’s Matt King with an interest in the sale of the family’s property on Kauai. Corboy grew up with Hemmings — who also appears as King’s secretary in the movie — in Honolulu and now splits his time between Los Angeles and Hawaii, as does Patricia Hastie, who plays the (mostly) comatose wife and mother who propels the story, and who also appeared at the fete.

The film’s music supervisor Dondi Bastone, who previously worked with director Alexander Payne on “Sideways” and “Election,” was there in a festive aloha shirt. He confessed to me that he knew virtually nothing about Hawaiian music before he began the project, although he’s clearly a quick learner; at last check Amazon listed the soundtrack’s sales as No. 2 for “oldies,” No. 5 for soundtracks and No. 38 of all albums. Cyril Pahinui, whose father Gabby is heard on a half-dozen tracks, and Jeff Peterson, represented by “Hawaiian Skies” in the movie, performed throughout the evening. Both musicians had high praise for the film; Pahinui noted that in one scene Clooney appears to run downhill to the beat of an ipu heke, while Peterson has received fan mail from as far away as Poland.

Hemmings, who now lives in Honolulu with her husband and two children but worked on the 2007 novel while living in the Bay Area, attended with mother Suzy, a real estate agent in Kahala. “The Descendants” author could only be described as glowing — and very petite, especially when standing next to towering Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho, who with Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho created the event as a thank-you for the novel/film’s unprecedented authenticity and the positive attention it has brought their island. (One example: Travel articles like this one about “Descendants” sites on the Garden Island, including Kipu Ranch Adventures’ ATV tours that bring you to the same vista of Kipu Kai that Clooney’s character and family share in the movie.)

Hemmings’ novel and the movie have already won more hearts and minds than she ever imagined. Let’s hope both receive even more acclaim (and aloha) tonight.